To this I will add some observations on, II. The direction given —
Moses, in calling to him the faithful servants of the Lord, shewed, that the Lord's people should on all occasions manifest,
1. A readiness to confess him —
[Neither the authority of Aaron, nor the rage of all Israel, was to deter any one from shewing himself on the Lord's side. So neither should any of us be afraid to confess Christ openly in the face of an ungodly world. We err ex- ceedingly if we fancy that there is any third party to which we may adhere with safety to our souls. There are but two governors, to one or other of which we must adhere; "the god of this world," and the God of heaven. The servants of Satan are bold in serving him ; and the servants of the Lord Jesus must be bold in confessing him : and if, from any motive whatever, we deny him, he will be ashamed of us, and deny us, in the presence of his Father and of the holy angels. I mean not to say, that Christians are to distinguish themselves by foolish singularity in matters of indifference : but in matters of plain duty they are to differ from the ungodly as widely as light from darkness : " they are to come out from among them, and be separate, and not to touch the unclean thing," if they would have " God for their Father," and approve themselves to him as " his sons and daughters" ]
2. A determination of mind to sacrifice every thing
for him —
[Moses, in his farewell discourse, at the distance of forty years, particularly commends this conduct of Levi, in that " he said unto his father and his mother, I have not seen him, neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor know his own children : but he had observed God's word, and kept his cove- nant13." And this shews, that, though we are not called to follow his act, we are to imbibe and manifest Iris spirit, so far at least as to sacrifice every thing to, and for, our God. Our blessed Lord distinctly and frequently inculcates this impor- tant lesson : " We are to forsake all for him — father, mother, brother, sister, houses, lands, yea, our very life also, if we would be his disciples : " yea, we are to " hate them all for him," that is, in comparison of himc. Doubtless, in the exe- cution of this duty, we may appear unkind, undutiful, and cruel ; but we must be firm, and suffer nothing to divert us from the path of duty : however painful it may be to discharge it, we must proceed, and, in dependence on divine strength, endure firmly unto the end. No doubt, if we are called to advance in opposition to the will of those who have the rule over us, we should be much on our guard, that we give them no unnecessary offence. We are to take great care that we contend for nothing but what is of vital importance, and that in our necessary conflicts we manifest nothing of an unhallowed
Deut. xxxiii. 9. e Luke xiv. 26.
106.] god's people to be decided and firm. 507
spirit. But proceed we must in obedience to our God ; and it' called to an account for it by any human authority what- ever, our answer must be, " Whether it be right to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye; for we cannot but do what is commanded us by our God."]
As a further improvement of this subject, we will proceed, 1. To prosecute the inquiry —
["Who amongst you is on the Lord's side?" I have before said, that this is easy to be ascertained : and now let us address ourselves to the inquiry. By nature, we are all " enemies to God," and " children of wrath." It is by grace alone that our state can be changed, so that we can with justice be numbered as the servants of the Lord. Who then, amongst you, has been made sensible of his guilty and undone state ? Who, amongst you, has fled to the Lord Jesus Christ for refuge from the wrath of God ? and who is yet daily im- ploring mercy at the hands of God in his name ? Who has given up himself unreservedly to God, as his reconciled God in Christ Jesus ? and who is living altogether to the glory of his holy name ? These are questions to be asked, and answered, in order to ascertain the point in hand. You must remember, that your having been baptized into the name of Christ will by no means determine the point : for all the Israelites had been circumcised, and had been " baptized also unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea :" and as their profession was insuffi- cient to prove them the Lord's, so also is ours. Nor will any transient impressions of joy and gratitude prove the point : for such emotions had been lately experienced by all Israel at the Red Sea, though now, alas ! they were altogether forgotten. It is the daily life and conversation that alone can determine this all-important point. " Examine yourselves then, my Bre- thren, and prove your own selves." Try whether you are ready to obey the call of God, and to abandon all for Christ. See whether you resemble your Lord and Saviour in the whole of his spirit and deportment. See whether, whilst you profess to be on the Lord's side, you are really " walking as he walked," and giving up yourselves entirely to him. Decide not the question on any doubtful or insufficient grounds, lest you de- ceive your own souls, and perish amidst the enemies of God. One thought only I will leave upon your minds ; and it is this : ' If you be not on the Lord's side, can you reasonably hope that ever he should be on yours ? And if you have not him for your friend and portion in the day of judgment, how awful will be your condition !' But an hour before, the whole camp of Israel was filled with the noise of joy and shouting : and in another hour, thousands were smitten down by the swords of their own